A Missing Puzzle Piece
by KnightsOfFandom
Summary: Yamask was born from the corpse of a young man on a battlefield. In his first moments of life, he had to reconcile his sudden existence. With no memories of anything other than the few seconds after he became cognizant, Yamask had to think...


_A Missing Puzzle Piece: A Pokémon Fanfiction_

_#562 YAMASK: THE SPIRIT POKÉMON_

_Type: Ghost_

_POKEDEX ENTRY: "Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry."_

_#038 NINETALES: THE FOX POKÉMON_

_Type: Fire_

_POKEDEX ENTRY: "Each of its nine tails embodies an enchanting power. It is said to live for 1,000 years."_

He fell to the ground with a thud. What had killed him, he would never know. He did know, however, that he only had moments left before he passed on to whatever his next life would be. The last thought he had before life drained away was of his precious Lokoko.

"I will return to you someday," he had said to her before he left. "Will you wait for me?"

"If you wish," she had replied.

Would she ever find out that he died? There was no one on the battlefield to deliver the message. Would she really wait for him?

He died wondering.

Yamask was born from the corpse of a young man on a battlefield. In his first moments of life, he had to reconcile his sudden existence. With no memories of anything other than the few seconds after he became cognizant, Yamask had to think.

The dead young man looked familiar. Perhaps he was a friend? _Friend!_ Yamask remembered something. A girl. She was waiting for him, somewhere. Yamask bade the dead young man farewell, and hoped that his spirit found its way to a peaceful afterlife before setting off on its journey.

Yamask traveled all over the world for what seemed like years. He saw humans every now and then. Every so often there would be one that attempted to throw a red ball at him. He knew what they were called, but the word for it would never come to him. Perhaps, the girl he was searching for had a red ball?

He wasn't sure of many things about the girl. All that he knew for sure was that she was waiting for him and the thought of her warmed him. When she wasn't on his mind he felt wrapped up in a blanket of cold. He would think of her all the time, but there were moments when Yamask forgot the girl. He would forget everything and float about in a dazed stupor. The only thing that could snap him out of it was the sight of his reflection.

The first time Yamask saw himself, he was in a golden city with shiny buildings and lots of people rushing back and forth. He was floating past one of the shiny buildings when he saw something next to him. It was black with red eyes and a yellow face right under his chin that looked like the dead young man on the battlefield. Yamask began to cry and wail.

One day Yamask was floating through a forest when he ran into a Ninetails. She, and Yamask was sure Ninetails was a female, was covered in sleek yellow fur. There was a graceful air about her, but a melancholic one as well. Normally, Yamask avoided other Pokémon, but something drew him to her.

"Hello," he said; his voice scratchy from a couple of centuries of disuse.

"Hello," she said. "What brings a Pokémon like you here?"

"I'm looking for someone," he said. "A girl. I loved‒ I mean, I love her."

Ninetails smiled, wanly, "Interesting. I am looking for a lost loved one as well." She paused, "I thought I had found him a while ago. I even created a human illusion of Lokoko, my old self, to make him stay."

The name Lokoko seemed familiar to Yamask. It sounded like a name the girl he was looking for would have. It was beautiful, and when he imagined her, he imagined that she was beautiful.

"What happened next?"

"It was not him," Ninetails sighed. "But he broke my pokeball, which allowed me to stop waiting for him to come back and begin a search of my own."

"How long were you waiting?"

"A couple of centuries," Ninetails said. "But I have been searching for him for the past year and a half. I should continue my search. Farewell."

Ninetails began walking, and Yamask could see the weariness of her steps.

"Wait," he called. "I know it must be lonely to journey all by yourself. May I accompany you? Perhaps with two sets of eyes we will find our loved ones sooner."

Ninetails thought for a moment, and smiled. "If you wish."


End file.
